Vice-President and Principal

Professor Franco Vaccarino is the ninth Principal of University of Toronto Scarborough. He is a distinguished scholar, educator and an accomplished academic administrator.

Before assuming the leadership role at U of T Scarborough in July 2007, Professor Vaccarino was Chair of the Department of Psychology, Faculty of Arts and Science at U of T. He also held the position of Graduate Chair of the tri-campus Graduate Department of Psychology.

He is the past Head of the Neuroscience Program in the Department of Psychiatry at U of T, and past Executive Vice-President, Programs, and Vice President, Research at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health.

He began his career at the University of Toronto in 1984 as an Assistant Professor at the Scarborough campus. Professor Vaccarino received his Bachelor of Science degree from U of T and his Masters and PhD in Psychology from McGill University.

The extensively published professor and researcher has received major awards from leading Canadian research and scientific organizations, including the Medical Research Council of Canada and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). His major research focus in the area of neurobiology of stress and motivation is considered a model for bridging the neural and behavioral sciences.

Professor Vaccarino has been instrumental in helping to advance the academic research agendas at the provincial, national and international levels. His work as a researcher and academic leader has had a transformative effect on policy and strategy both locally and around the world. He is also a Director on a number of key Boards including: Brain Canada and the Institute of Mental Health Research.